The 1st AsAm Supreme Court Nominee?
Sri Srinivasan, 48, born in India, and a D.C. Circuit Court Judge, has been mentioned often as a possible nominee. It will be a very smart move by Pres. Obama for reasons to be explained later.
Why is Sri a likely nominee?
A nominee to the Supreme Court needs Senate approval, which involves partisan interests and ideological differences. The Republicans in control of the Senate don't want to approve an Obama nominee, because, after the election, it could be a Republican President nominating a very conservative justice.
Why nominate Sri then? It'll be very difficult for the Senate Republicans to refuse to look at Sri's nomination by filibustering. Why?
(1) Sri clerked for former Justice Sandra Day 0'Conner, a Republican, and
(2) Sri was confirmed by the Senate, less than 3 years ago, by a unanimous vote of 97-0.
Sri's nomination makes it difficult for the Senate Republicans to flip-flop.
Why Is It Such a Smart Move for Pres. Obama?
If Sri wins the Senate's approval, it'll be a win for Obama. If Sri's nomination is filibustered by the Senate Republicans, which seems certain, it'll drive a wedge between the Republican presidential and congressional candidates and AsAm voters in an election year. It is still a win for Democrats. Note: 80-20 always tells it like it is.
80-20 hopes that Sri will be the 1st AsAm Supreme Court Justice
When Sri was nominated for the Circuit Court 3 year ago, there was much talk that his nomination will be blocked by the Senate Democrats then in control. 80-20 worked with many Indian Am. national orgs to induce Sen. Reid to submit Sri's nominations to the full senate, which passed it 97-0. Having an Asian Am Supreme Court Justice would substantially decrease the possibility that AsAms will become the scapegoat in hard times. Note: 80-20 has always worked for every component of the AsAm community. Does every component help 80-20 back? Search your hearts.
These Board Members Help Make 80-20 EF Strong:
Alice Huang of Pasadena, CA
Henry Lee of NYC, NY
S. K. Lo of Edina, MN
Kathleen To of Georgetown, TX
Jing-Li Yu of Long Island, NY
Wei-jing Zhu (EF Treasurer) of Palo Alto, CA
I am most grateful to them. I like to think you are too.
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S. B. Woo
President and a volunteer for the past 17 years
80-20 Initiative, Inc.
View a GREAT 3-part video about AsAms:
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